Wire-strainer.



No. 728,198. PATENTBD MAY 19, 1903.

' J. BROWN. I

WIRE STRAINER.

AP P LIOATION PILIZD iULY 20, 1900.

N0 MODEL.

Patented May 19, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BROWN, OF VIOLET TOWN, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

WIRE-STRAIN ER.

SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,198, dated May 19, 1903.

Application filed July 20,1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN BROWN, creamery manager, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residingat Earlston, Violet Town, in the county of Moira, Victoria, Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Wire-Strainers, of which the following is a specification. V

The object of my invention is to provide a straining device for stretching fencing-wire between posts. In the past some of the appliances used to this end have been either cumbersome or costly; but with my invention a strainer is produced which is cheap in first cost, has but few partsliable to derangement, and is light to carry,and has a-winding-handle on which a good purchase can be obtained.

My invention consists of a frame or shell of somewhat the same contour as the upper of a shoe, both the top and bottom of the same being open. On its front is a nose, beneath which is an incnt or recess. At the rear is a hanger. Passing transversely through holes in the frame is a holed windingdrum locked bya ratchet-wheel and a pawl. The Winding-drum is turned by a windinghandle having an outstanding arm or spoke at each end, and to the said handle is pivoted a shearing or wire-cutting lever.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the machine complete, in which it will be seen that the looped end of one wire is placed around the nose and into the incnt or recess before mentioned. The plain end of the other wire passes underneath the said nose and through the loop and a hole in the winding-drum. The shearing or wirecutting lever is shown resting against the body of the winding-handle. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the nose in which the incut is clearly seen. Fig. 3 represents a front view of the frame with the winding-drum removed, showing the disposition of the two wires. Fig. a shows a view of the windinghandle. This has two outstanding arms or spokes, one of which is pointed. The shearing-lever is pivoted to the said handle, and the gap in the handle-body and the shearinglever, which register with each other and into which the wire to be cut is placed, is clearly Serial No. 24,276. (No model.)

the several views.

- On reference to the drawings it will be seen that A is one end of a piece of wire having twisted thereon a loop. The other piece of 'wire B has a plain end to itt'. e., unlooped.

Over the wire A is placed the hanger O, situated, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, at the back of the frame D. On the front of the frame is a nose E, beneath which is an incnt or recess F. Over this nose and into the incut is placed the looped wire A. The end of the unlooped wire B is then passed, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, under the nose E and through the loop on A and into a hole in the windingdrum G. This winding-drum rotates in bearings in the sides of the frame and is prevented from pulling out therefrom by the ratchet-wheel H on one end and a split pin and washer or nut or other device on the other. The said drum is locked in any desired position by the pawl J.

The rotation of the winding-drum is effected by a winding-handle K. This has a square or other hole therein fitting upon the end of the shaft G and can be removed or replaced at will. At each end of the said winding-handle is an outstanding arm. At one end, as shown, it is pointed, as at L, and on the other end it is preferably parallel, as at M. The object of pointing one of the arms is to enable it when necessary to untwist the wire. In the winding-handle K are one or more straining-holes R, by which when necessity arises wire may be strained. These can be of uniform or unequal diameter. Near one end of-this handle the metal is recessed, as at N, and into this recess, by a pivot-pin O, is pivotedthe shearing or wire-cutting lever P. This has in it a cutting-gap Q. There is also a corresponding gap in the handle. These gaps are not square. with. the face of the handle or the shearing-lever, but are inclined thereto, as shown in Fig. 5, and thereby form a cutting or shearing angle.

The cycle of operations is as follows: If a slack uncut wire exists between two posts and requires to be stretched taut, it is cut at or about the middle. The end of the wire A is then bent to form an eye or loop and turned back on itself, as shown in Fig. 1. The hanger O on the rear end of the frame is then passed over the top of the wire, as shown. The end of the wire B is then passed under the nose E, (see Fig. 3,) through the eye or loop just formed, and into the hole in the windingdrum.. This drum, by the handle K, is then turned till the wire is strained to the right degree. When this is done, the pawl is pressed against one of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel and the handle removed. The hanger is then lifted off the Wire, and the frame, with the recess F as a center, is moved from left to right underneath the two wires. It is then twisted three or four times around the wire B and the waste piece out 01f. It will be observed that the projection or nose E is formed by extending the sides of the frame D and that it projects entirely beyond said frame, so that when the bending and twisting operations are performed there are no parts of the frame to interfere with the same. This is also true of the handle K, for by employing the pawl J the handle may be removed after the wires are strained, leaving the compact frame D to be grasped by the operator to perform the bending and twisting operations around the projecting nose E as a center.

As will appear from Fig. 3, there is an incut or recess F located in each of the sides of the frame where they converge to form the nose E, these recesses being located a short distance behind the tip of the nose, so that a span having some breadth occurs between the opposite incuts or recesses. In this way the loop end of the Wire placed over the nose is held spread wide open, so that the other end of the wire may be passed through the loop and the crotch of the nose formed by the converging sides. A broader bearing for the loop is also formed by this construction, lessening the danger ofcutting the wire loop when under severe tension.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a wire-stretcher, the combination of a frame having sides, converging at one end of the frame to form an extension or nose projecting beyond the body of the frame, said extension or nose having behind the tip thereof an incut or recess located at each side, for the reception of a wire loop forming a bearing for the wire and about which bearing, as a fulcrum, the stretcher may be turned in securing the wire, a hanger formed integral with the other end of the frame, a perforated drum mounted in said frame, aratchet-wheel fixed to the drum, a pawl for said ratchetwheel, and a detachable handle for rotating said frame, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BROWN.

Witnesses:

ISAAC WALLACE, ALEXANDER BROWN. 

